Who’s to Pay for Additional Services? – An analysis of Curo Places Limited v Anthony Pimlett 2019

It is common for tenancy agreements to require a tenant to pay a service charge to its landlord in return for services and maintenance of the property and communal areas. However, at times, there can be disparity between the services provided by the landlord and the service charge that is paid by the tenant.

One such situation was considered recently in the appeal case of Curo Places Limited v Anthony Pimlett [2019] UKUT 130 (LC). This case considered whether a clause contained within the tenancy agreement allowed the landlord to provide additional services and charge the tenant for the same through the service charge that formed part of his tenancy agreement.

In the instant case, Mr Pimlett had been granted a tenancy agreement by Somerset Housing Trust in 2008. 

Building Control sign-off needs insurers to sign up!

The building control industry have received increased scrutiny as a direct result of the increasing focus on public protection after the tragic incident at Grenfell Tower… the impact is becoming more prevalent as Approved Inspectors' insurance policies are up for renewal…

There are 95 Approved Inspector companies in the UK. These are private companies who inspect construction work to certify whether it is in line with requirements of Building Regulations. There are only two authorised insurance brokers providing indemnity insurance for them but with the increased scrutiny, insurance scheme underwriters are being reluctant to underwrite the insurance.

Creating a Partnership Environment Briefings

We will be holding briefings in Leeds and Lancashire designed to help Housing Associations to learn more about the legislation available to Environmental Health colleagues so that a collaborative approach can be adopted to address various housing issues in the future.  Topics will include: What’s new in the Social Housing Sector in the area? And an external speaker will provide an Environmental Health Perspective, exploring the tools available to Environmental Health.  The Leeds briefing will take place on 21st November and the Lancashire briefing will take place on 10th December.

To view the programme for the Leeds briefing, please click here

To view the programme for the Lancashire briefing, please click here

Legal 500

Forbes Housing & Regeneration team are proud to be ranked in tier 1 for Social Housing in Legal 500 this year.

The team have received some glowing testimonials:

The firm has a knowledgeable and experienced team. Individuals within the team are approachable and provide options for consideration with clear advice.

Jennifer Hankinson provides great assistance and delivers advice clearly and within agreed timescales.

Chambers 2020

The team are delighted to be ranked in band 2 for Chambers and Partners. Clients have provided the following testimonials:

"It's a hugely enthusiastic and driven team that works hard to obtain the very best results."

"They are very responsive and accurate, and they give us a realistic view. They were able to mobilise quickly and get me on the right track."

"considering it's a big firm, they have really taken the time to build rapport. They are very knowledgeable and able to draw expertise from other sections."

The Launch of the Best Practice Partnership Network

After months of planning and consultation, the ASC Forbes service launched our much-awaited Best Practice Partnership Network at the Novotel in Leeds on Thursday 26th September 2019.

The purpose of this initiative is to improve collaborative working between Registered Housing Providers, Police, Fire and Social Care when dealing with Anti-Social Behaviour and safeguarding issues.

Spotlight on…

Talia Platts Head of Administration and Finance Housing & Regeneration (Property) Department

Job Description

I currently work within the administration team as part of the Housing & Regeneration (Property) department; Our department is split into two separate teams being Home Ownership and Development, both of which have their own admin staff to support their day-to-day work.  I supervise the admin support staff as a whole across both teams, assisting where needed with training and their general everyday queries.  My role also includes overseeing the finances of the department by monitoring aged debt, assisting with weekly client account checks and being the general point of contact for our clients finance teams.  As our team works closely with other departments at Forbes such as Housing Litigation and the Governance, Procurement and Information department, I keep in regular contact with their admin teams which enables us to share ideas and suggest new procedures to put in place to make life easier for both our clients and us. Staff at Forbes really are one team!

I love being part of such a close-knit, dynamic team that strive to provide the best quality to all of our clients. I am one of the lucky few that do get to say they enjoy their job.

Describe yourself in three words

Friendly, Pro-active and a team player.

In a team environment, what role do you usually take on?

Personal Assistant to the masses! Although this is not my official job role, if a meeting or event needs arranging then I tend to be the go to person. I do spend a lot of my day organising the lives of the development team.

Favourite holiday destination

Although there are many places I have enjoyed visiting, I would have to say Italy is by far my favourite Country to date. I have already been to Rome three times and would still happily go back again and again. Italy has a mass of wonderful sites to see and things to do although I must say the abundance of pizza, pasta and ice cream probably plays a big part!